The next, next generation of Talents
by Doyoueverwonder
Summary: Growing up, Jeff Lyon-Dano spent most of his life on the 'Dini world Clarf, now he's got to make his way in a Universe in which being a Prime isn't that special anymore. Mild first chapter, will get racier later.
1. Chapter 1

A powerful thrust sent the carrier spinning into the void, reality warping as mental kinesis took the small pod from above the planet Clarf and sent it into the warm grasp of the Rowan's mind hovering in space above the station on Callisto. It had been a near impossible decision for Laria and Kincaid, but eventually they had realized they simply couldn't teach their son everything he needed to know on Clarf, especially considering he likely would not be posted on a Dini world. He was 20 years old, and knew more than most humans ever would about dini life and the culture on their planets, but his grasp of Tower protocol was weak, and his experience with human culture was limited to family visits to Iota Aurigae, Deneb, and when his many aunts, uncles, cousins, and other relations came to visit.

The idea of sending him away had been enough to leave Laria in tears, but her mind merged with her long time partner's and together they had lifted their son and sent him to live with his great grandmother. Their other children were all young enough to stay at home, but the age gap between their eldest and his siblings was significant. The best thing was to have him live somewhere that he could deal with a personality as large as his own.

Jeff Lyon-Dano was tall and thin, like both his parents, with thick dark hair and that ever present shock of white hair that marked him as one of the many descendants of a certain Altairian Loon. His streak was just above his right eye and did much to enhance his first impressions with most people. Living on Clarf, with its hot sun, had left him tanned and spending as much time as he did in the rivers to keep cool had helped give him a natural swimmer's build. Dressed in his formal greens, he looked quite fetching, and he knew it.

His mother was relatively calm, stable, the rock in his life. But, she was like that in most things. It was his father who taught Jeff to know his own worth and not be ashamed of it. With the many Ravens, Lyons, Eagles, and numerous other Denebian clans, and their relatives, running out over the galaxy in T&T and the Navy, a Prime Port and Path with a shock of white hair wasn't abnormal anymore. Nor was it a guarantee of a prestigious posting. His cousins had spent much of their lives on human planets or on Navy ships, and that had given them an advantage. Between his mother's suggestion and a personal interview across the lightyears, Jeff had managed to talk his way into a position working with the Rowan.

His carrier set down with barely a hint of motion, and he smiled, feeling the mental touch receding from his pod. He was here. Lifting the door of the pod, he stepped out into the Dome and let his mind take it all in. Men and women bustling to and fro, their hands filled with clipboards, hand held computers, and other miscellany, some even had a cloud of objects floating along beside them using their Talent in an overt manner. There were a few dini helping move loads, but no where near as many as at Clarf Tower.

"Move it or get back in the pod and get off my floor, kid!" The voice was loud, but not too harsh. Just a man in a hurry. Jeff turned towards it to see a compact brown tinted man staring at him. "Did you hear me? Move it!"

"Sorry, Sir. It's just this is my first time to Callisto. Should I port my carrier to a storage facility?"

"Should he port it to a storage facility?! No, kid! We've got teams to do that. What're your orders?"

Jeff stepped over to get out of the way of a passing carrier being levitated to its bay by a pair of Talents. He grabbed his carrysack from the carrier and as soon as his hand was clear the carrier popped out of existence. Before he could reply, the brown man began walking away.

"I'm sorry sir, I'm supposed to report to the Rowan. Could you direct me to her?" Jeff did his best to sound calm, and not like a lost child.

"Haven't you ever been in a Tower before, kid? You don't interrupt the Prime during business hours. I'll take you to the Twic. He should be able to handle you."

_Where is he? My granddaughter's son was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago. If anyone sees one of my misbegotten progeny's offspring's children running around the station... rather, if you see one you've not met before... bring them into the Tower. We'll take a short break when he's found._

Her voice touched every telepathic mind in the station, and they all began looking about for the errant Talent. The station worker who had been guiding Jeff turned, and looked shocked. "Apparently, she wants to see you now."

All Jeff could do was grin, shrug his shoulders, and follow the Talent up the steps into the Tower. Inside there were three couches, all wired for a high Talent's use, and a secondary monitoring system that looked vaguely like a Medical Station.

"It looks like a Med Station because it is one." The Rowan's physical voice was just as strong as her mental projection, though it did carry with it the weight of years lived. "My husband, that scheming Denebian, thinks I'm too old to do my job without being monitored to make sure I don't collapse and kill myself during a port. Imagine the gall!"

"I think it's wise, grandmother." Jeff kept his head down to hide the smile on his face.

"Oh, so you agree with that wastrel, do you?"

"In this, apparently. Though, considering his position as Earth Prime is just as stressful I would turn around and make sure that he had a Med Station just as close." Looking up, Jeff saw the smile on the Rowan's face, and knew he'd taken the right tone.

"How right you are boy. You do realize I won't be calling you Jeff, that would be too confusing. I'm married to the Jeff in my life, so we'll find something that fits you along the way. That is, if you stay long. I'm sure you're aware that I spent the first years at this station recycling personnel faster than you can say tiddlywinks."

She was still the woman from the holos his mother and grandmother kept: short, dainty, fine boned, and yet strong. Her hair was a lush mane of white hair corralled into a loose braid that hung down her back, and her skin maintained that dark altairian luster. If you did not know she was near her ninth decade, you would not guess it.

"Are you satisfied that I'm not about to keel over dead, boy?"

"Of course, grandmother. I was satisfied with that after talking with you last month. Though, I wasn't sure I wouldn't keel over dead." His chuckle was quiet, but his memories of that intense interview flashed through his mind.

"Good." She looked almost like the cat that ate the canary as she let her eyes roam over her great-grandson. "I can tell which of your genes you got from Dano. He's a good man, good for your mother too. I hear you test as a Prime? Good. I trust Laria taught you to use your Talent, so I won't need to train you on the basics. You can lift, push, and catch, correct? Good. Now, go take your bag to your quarters. You'll be sharing a suite with a three of your cousins. Play nice, boy. When you're settled in, report back here."

Without another word, she turned back to her screens and pulled the generators online. Recognizing the dismissal, Jeff turned and left the Tower. He smiled and waved to the station worker who'd guided him, but walked out of the hangar on his own. Outside the hangar, there was a large information terminal. Typing in his ID code, he requested his quarters, a map, and some general information on the station. Apparently not much had changed in the years the Rowan had occupied the domed moon station. Equipment had been upgraded, of course, but the main aspects were mostly the same as what his grandmother had described to him. Damia spoke of Callisto with an odd mental inflection... he had wanted to pry, to try to figure out what she was feeling when she thought about Callisto, but even if he had any chance of breaking into her mind, it would be extremely rude.

After walking through three tunnels and one tube, Jeff came to a long corridor lined with doors. This was where permanent station personnel were quartered. Married couples and families got a suite to themselves, but unmarried personnel were grouped into fours and told to get along. At least, until they reached a certain rank. Station Master, Second in Command, and a few other key persons were given their own suite no matter their marital status.

Stepping down the hall, he noticed a doorway that was subtly glowing. The AI knew he was close to home. Walking up, he announced himself.

"Jeff Lyon-Dano," and waited.

_Voice key accepted. Welcome home, Mr. Dano._

Stepping inside, his eyes swept over a battleground. The shared kitchen was piled high with dishes, the living area had pillows in clumps on the floor, not a single piece of furniture was lined up properly against a wall, or even offset in a deliberate manner. Standing in the middle of it was a tall blond woman, her hair in a pixie cut, and a thin, dark man. He was shorter than the woman, and had tell-tale white streaks over each ear, making him look much older than he could possibly be.

"As far as I am concerned, Yvonne, this is your mess and I will not touch a single bit of it!"

"My mess? You were here too, Jacques. Don't try to blame this all on me!" One hand gestured broadly at "this all" and she continued. "We were both here, so we should both clean up. I don't mind Tabitha not helping, because she was on duty at the time. But you can't enjoy a party and then not help clean up when it's at your digs!"

"Enjoy!?" His back went rigid, "I came home after getting off duty and found the party already started and when I tried to go to bed, several of your guests followed me! What else could I do?"

"See, you enjoyed yourself. Now, you pick up the living room, and I'll do the unpleasant bits in the kitchen." With a smug, self-satisfied smile she turned towards the kitchen, and he followed eyes blazing. That was when they both noticed Jeff standing there.

"Who are you? Were you at the party last night? Then you should help clean up too. Come on then, into the kitchen!" The blond, Yvonne, began shooing him towards her chosen chore.

"What? No... I just got here. I was told I was assigned to this suite. I'm Jeff Dano."

"Dano? Like Laria Lyon-Dano, or like another Dano?" Jacques queried brightly.

"Yes, that's my mother. Kincaid Dano is my father."

"Well then! That makes us all cousins... good to know we're keeping this suite in the family. Wouldn't want the fourth feeling like a complete outsider." The other man moved forward and stuck out his palm. Apparently he came from a tactile world that even ignored Talents' dislike of physical contact.

"Yes, grandmother mentioned that." Jeff touched Jacques' palm and felt the smooth coffee and cream taste of his cousin's mind. They should get along well, judging by mind touch alone. Standing back until this point, Yvonne put forward her hand.

"Pleased to meet you, cousin." Her mind touch was sour, like fresh squeezed lemons. Not unpleasant, but definitely not easy to take. "How do you rate, if you don't mind me being bold?"

"Prime, like so many of us." His grin was met by theirs. Of the Rowan and Jeff Raven's children, three were Primes, one was a T-2, and the other a T-3, and all five of them had children who tested at T-3 or above, many of them Primes. Then those Primes went on to have their own children who also number many Primes. Four Prime Talents, all cousins, in one suite for who knew how long. It would be an interesting apprenticeship.

"That room will be yours, then. Go in, and make sure you're well and settled before going back to the Tower. The Rowan will want to know you follow instructions well. I remember when Tabitha first arrived. She just dropped her bags and ran back to the Tower, but the Rowan sent her back twice to make sure she was well and settled." Jacques grinned at the memory, and lead Jeff to a door. "Just call out if you need anything. We'll both be out here cleaning."

Inside his room, Jeff took out the few belongings he'd brought with him. A few changes of clothing, a small collection of real paper books, and his portable personal music player. He often liked to plug his player into the swim tubs at gyms and have the music fill the water as he swam. Rearranging everything twice, he sat down on the bed and began wondering what else he could do to 'settle in' so as to give every appearance of obeying his great grandmother's instructions. Staring at a blank wall, nothing came to him. Absolutely nothing. Then it clicked. He was staring at a blank wall. Walking to the terminal at the desk, he pulled up the commissary's catalog and began looking through the home decor section, the art section, and the miscellaneous section. Finally, he found something he liked. It was a poster from pre-expansion Earth showing a trio of comic book characters. Really, it's just three incarnations of one character: Jean Grey, of the X-Men. Phoenix, Dark Phoenix and White Phoenix, in a dramatic pose, showing aspects of their powers, their characters, and their message to their readers.

The character had always appealed to Jeff. She was practically a Prime, but was created decades before Henry Darrow first got hooked up to the goose egg. Her telepathic and telekinetic abilities were near limitless, and that was the problem. She had the power of a god, but the morality and mind of a human. In her first stage, she used the power to do what she thought was right; in the second stage, the power corrupted her and she gave into it, using it for great evil; and in the third stage, she mastered her power, and used it only for good. Few of his friends even knew about Phoenix, she was just one of a million fictional characters from centuries past. But, for Jeff, she was both a model and a warning. Looking at the cost of the poster, he was shocked at the total. Then he noticed the signature in the bottom right corner of the piece. It was a signed original... of course it would cost an arm and a leg. Biting the bullet, he purchased the poster, read his confirmation, and saved it. The piece would be ordered and hopefully arrive soon.

Deciding that he'd settled in enough, he stood and brushed off his clothing. His mother had practically ordered him to wear FT&T Greens, and his father had taught him how to purchase a set that fit him well, so here he was on Callisto dressed for Formal FT&T service and no one else was. Even the Rowan had been wearing a loose sweater, and she was reportedly a stickler for rules. Unbuttoning his collar, he decided that he could be a little less formal. A quick perusal through his newly filled closet showed a light, comfortable, blue shirt that would reduce the formality of his appearance, but still manage to show off his green hazel eyes.

Walking out of his bedroom, he smiled to his cousins as they cleaned and bickered.

"My, you clean up nice." It wasn't Yvonne commenting. Jeff turned and smiled at Jacques.

"You think so? Let's see how I look after a shift in the Tower." He winked and feigned exhaustion, then walked out the door with a smile. Before it closed he could hear Yvonne echoing Jacques' compliment in mocking tones. Interesting.

When he returned into the Tower's hangar, he was shocked to find it mostly calm, quiet even. Looking around, he saw the Rowan was still in the Tower, so he trotted up the steps and into the inner sanctum. He announced himself with a polite "Excuse me, ma'am" but maintained silence when she nodded and held up a finger. She, and the man sitting next to her, both had their eyes closed. Apparently in mental conference with someone distant.

_Yes, Damia, let Laria know her boy has made it here safely. I told him to settle in, and he seems to be doing just that. In fact, we received a bill of transport addressed to him already. Apparently Kincaid's desire to decorate was passed on to their son._ The Rowan's voice held a tone for her daughter that Jeff had never heard her use, it endeared the old woman to him.

_He just arrived for his first shift of duty, Damia, let's break off now and see what he's made of._ The voice apparently came from this man sitting next to the Rowan. His voice was velvet smooth, and full of a quiet chuckle, but wasn't one of the Talents Jeff knew by their mental touch.

"Hello boy, I want you to meet Gollee Gren. He has handled Talent assessment since your namesake took over this operation. Gollee is going to run you through your paces and we'll see if you really do test at Prime. After we have an official assessment of your rating, we'll assign you a job code, a pay scale, and maybe you'll be able to afford more pre-space art." The twinkle in the Rowan's eye told him she thought his purchase odd, but intriguing.

"Well then, Talent Gren, what am I to do for you?" Jeff smiled and clapped his hands together, rubbing them in anticipation of a hard work out for his mental muscles.

"Oh, this and that." Gren's laugh was devious, and the Rowan's cackle only deepened Jeff's sense of worry.

* * *

Hours later, the Rowan sat in her private apartment in its double thick dome. She was tucked into the corner of a sofa, her feet sitting on the lap of her adoring husband, while the two of them listened to Gren's report on Jeff Dano.

"The boy really is top notch, guys. Laria and Kincaid were right in labeling him Prime. He can Path messages to our farthest settlements, with or without gestalt. He can launch message tubes just as far. Tapping into gestalt, the boy was able to juggle freighters, big daddies, Aurigaen regulars, and all other makes and models. At the top of our test he had three big daddies, two regulars and eight galactic standards. We left off the big liners, didn't want to test him on animate stuff, you know... but he performed well on small carriers... very well. I'm damned interested in seeing what this boy can do with a full team." Gollee took a sip of his glass of wine, smiling. The Ravens had remembered he was partial to Riestling. "I'd call him a Prime and a half, maybe more. Thing is the kid knows he's good. You'll have to keep an eye on him, make sure that his ego doesn't get too large... can't have any gravitational distortions out here, you know."

Down a few corridors, and in significantly less elegant circumstances, Jeff Dano let his head fall onto a pillow. He'd not even made it to his bedroom, having instead collapsed on the nearest comfortable looking surface: the floor near the couch. As his eyes sank shut like lead curtains, he fervently wished that the rest of his days in FT&T would be no where near as taxing as this 'test' had been.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! PM, I enjoy your fics too! And Cathrl, I hope I didn't go over board, but basically I wanted to show Laria is contrast to her mother (who was in contrast to her own mother). When Damia's children were tapped by Jeff for FT&T, Damia got her angst out in private, and gave her kids her full support... sending them off to face hard work and danger as older teens. I'd think Laria would cling to her children, refusing to let them go. Sure, Jeff could have left at any time, but he knew it would hurt his mother. No, he wasn't lounging about doing nothing in their home while he was an adult. He had a life, but it was based in the human compound on Clarf or the Tower. He would often assist his parents with their shifting, especially when the Dini were sending out new colony ships, but now he's got his chance to go off world to the hub with his mother's blessing, even if she's weeping about it. Then again, I could be writing my own mother's reactions onto Laria... I moved out to college and she got teary eyed... then two years later I got an apartment and she actually sobbed. Eeep!

**Chapter 2:**

The lunch counter in the Tower Hangar was busy as Jeff tried to navigate the crowds. The morning after his test session with Gren, the Rowan had called him to the Tower and explained that she wanted him to work in the Tower Yard loading and unloading carriers as they appeared in the cradles and then removing empty carriers. It was rare to have a Prime doing such grunt work in a Tower, but she thought it would be good for him, and good for the team that was currently in place. His shift would be the swing shift covering the second half of the out-bound traffic from Earth and the first half of the window in which traffic could come to or leave Callisto from outside the Solar System. His parents hadn't been pleased, but were supportive.

_You're doing yard work? Kincaid, isn't that a bit insulting?_

_No, dear heart. I doubt your grandmother would insult him... she probably put him where she actually needed help. That's a compliment._

_But he's a Prime love, surely he would be of more use to her in the Tower itself._

_Mother, the Rowan already has three Prime great-grandchildren here assisting her. Tabitha prepares the yard before we're open to Earth traffic and then handles the first half of that window, leaving when I take over. Jacques is there to pick it up when I'm off duty. I'm pretty sure Yvonne works with the Generators. She's been here longer than us though, and from what the long standing yard crew say she started out doing what we do._

_See love, your grandmother is making sure her charges learn the Tower from the base up. That is all. Yes, we could wish she had given him the couch to her right and they merged tightly and well, but that won't change that she has placed him in a good place to learn._

_Ah, loves... you're both right... I just want the best for my son._

_That rather large dose of Gwyn-Raven-Lyon pride wants him to be placed high you mean._ His teasing tone held all the love and tenderness of long association.

_That's not it at all, you nefarious Altairian!_ Even across the known galaxy Jeff knew his mother had launched herself physically at his father.

_Peace! Peace! Mea culpa! Let's say goodbye to our son, love... you can torment me for my sins after we've signed off._

_Don't think I'll forget this, heart of my heart._ Her tone was filled with both love and a distinct desire to tackle her husband again. _Good night son, make us proud._

_Yes, do your best and we'll be proud of that._ Jeff felt his father tapping a generator to telekinetically hug his son. That gesture filled him with all the warmth it had throughout his childhood. He suddenly missed the physical presences of his parents.

_Goodbye Mum, Dad. Say hello to the Team for me, and give the younger ones a roughing up or two._

The last thing he felt was a soft telekinetic touch to his forehead as his mother kissed him goodbye.

His first shift in the yard, he was told to report to a man named Wilson, a T-7. After a discreet inquiry, he was pointed towards the brown skinned man who had helped him find the Rowan the day before. Smiling and introducing himself, he said "I guess I'll get to port carriers to storage after all."

More than a week had passed since then, and he was settling in to his duties. Due to his greater strength, Wilson had Jeff set to move empty carriers and drones the moment they were clear. That required Jeff to keep a mental tag on every person clearing things in the yard. Mental tags spread out of his mind like strings in a web, some touching other Talented minds, others lifting empty carriers, yet more keeping an observing eye on the storage yard where he was shipping things making sure no one else thought to fill up the space he planned on using for a carrier. This was the closed window when Jupiter kept traffic down to emergencies only, and so it was the defacto lunch hour.

Sitting at a table crowded with the clearing team, he ate his salad and chatted. The people on his team were mostly Terrans who had joined FT&T to get off world. Though, they had all expected to make it farther away than Callisto. They were all used to having a Prime on the team, having worked with his cousins before he arrived, and they said it helped up efficiency and reduced the accident rate to almost zero. The rumor was Earth Prime was looking in to how to duplicate their procedure at other Towers without posting his great-grandchildren all over the Star League. There were Towers now, at every inhabited planet. The nine original human worlds, the three original dini worlds, all their own colonies, and the colonies that were formerly failed Hiver Worlds. Now that the alliance had a way to contain aggressive Hivers, the allied species didn't need to fear that particularly bellicose species, and so both species expanded as needed. FT&T Towers were assigned to planets as Talent became available and as worlds could pay for it. The main worlds all had fully staffed high Talent Towers but some of the lesser worlds made do with a trio of T-3s instead of a Prime, or they paid for a single T-2 and just augmented him or her with several lower Talents. It was a good day to be an FT&T Talent. Primes were always useful, but the worlds that could afford them had them, and those that wanted one could not afford them.

"Hello, stranger." He rarely got to speak with Tabitha because when he started his shift, she had ended hers and was heading back to their Suite to sleep. "Yv and Jacques are fighting again, so sleeping is out of the question. I figured I might as well sit down and have a chat with my current favorite cousin on station."

Tabitha was Jeran's granddaughter, but had somehow managed to miss all of his legendary pomposity. Though, she didn't miss his height or dark coloring. Dark, serious eyes that usually hid a twinkle sat below waves of thick, dark curls. Her streak was a single curl above her left eye, though, she left it hang freely when she tied back the rest of her mane. She had grown up on Deneb, and it showed in some of her quirks.

"Favorite cousin? Ha! Make sure to tell Jacques he's been replaced! What are he and Yvvone fighting about now?" Jeff smiled and offered her his roll, which she declined.

"Well, Jacques made the mistake of telling Yv that he thought the only reason she wasn't working the yard anymore was because you showed up. It's true, we all know it, but Yv likes to pretend she was 'promoted' to work with the Engineer on the Generators. They're still going at it, and they started before I got home from my shift." As she spoke, she sent a quiet telepathic request to the cook at the counter, who sent a boy running with a drink for her. Not the best manners, but she was sleeping with the cook, so most people wouldn't complain. Apparently the food got much better when the cook was happy.

"Grand... should I look forward to the two of them trying to take it out on me?"

"Naw, Yv is pretty good at letting things go, and Jacques thinks you walk on water. Be easy on him, Jeff. Don't go breakin' his heart. OK?" She leaned in, her white lock falling in front of her eyes. "I don't spread this around too much, but Jacques and I knew each other before coming to Callisto. He's my first cousin, and our parents were close. I try to look out for him, and he's Ga-Ga over you, Mr. Tall-dark-and-new."

Dumbfounded, Jeff nodded. "I'll do that Tabs."

"Good." She smiled at him, grabbed her drink, and walked over to the counter to make sure the cook knew he was the only man she loved.

Back at work, Jeff did his best to keep his mind on the job at hand. In System traffic was always a bit more harried than Out System. Packages, carriers, drones, and ships were coming from every planet in the League and they all had to route through Callisto to get to Earth, which kept Jeff and his team on their toes. When the alarm on his wrist went off, Jeff sighed, and finished his last port. It was time to hand over the reins to Jacques. Just as Jeff turned around, he noticed Jacques walking into the hangar, and he found himself smiling at the sight of his cousin. Knowing someone liked you was a fantastic feeling.

Years ago, his parents had sat him down and explained all aspects of the Talented Birds and the Bees. Everything from what biological actions and reactions occurred in the male body to create and ejaculate sperm to how to properly shield from a much weaker mind during intercourse. One thing they hit very firmly was sexual orientation. His father self-labeled as an apostate homosexual. He was primarily attracted to men, almost exclusively. Jeff's mother, Laria, was one of a very few exceptions. Laria, on the other hand was almost totally heterosexual. They did their best to explain that most people fell somewhere in between where his parents sat on that particular continuum, and that when he found his sexuality it didn't matter who he was attracted to, so long as he treated them with respect and was respected in return. Later, when he did begin to feel those desires and urges, he'd never really felt compelled to settle on just one gender. He'd had lovers from both genders and felt the same level of commitment to them all. It didn't matter what genitalia they had, he had fallen for the person.

Now, the question was: did he feel anything for Jacques and should he do anything about it if he did?

They weren't close enough cousins for it to be weird, so that wasn't an issue, but they did have to share a close living space and had to work in the Rowan's Tower. If anything went wrong the worst outcome would be they'd hamper the efficiency of the Tower, which would be pretty serious. Everyone knew how proud the Rowan was of her Tower and how smoothly it functioned. The optimal efficiency had been under Jeff Raven's time as Prime, but the Rowan was always close to that level of smoothly flowing traffic. Anything that made her Tower operate poorly would be seen in the worst light by the Prime.

Beyond that, sure Jacques was cute... but they didn't interact often enough for Jeff to tell if there was that spark there that he felt was a prerequisite for a relationship. The only way to find that out, though, was to spend more time with Jacques.

Deciding to do so, and figure out if they'd have that spark, Jeff walked over to Jacques, smiling.

"Hey there, I've been here a week and not yet done anything that was just fun. After your shift is over, want to show me what's to be done on this dusty moon?" He tried to keep his grin under control as Jacques fell over himself trying to agree. With that, they agreed to meet in the Recreational Dome after Jacques' shift was up. Having done his research, Jeff knew that the Dome had both the physical recreational facilities (a gym, a pool, several sports facilities, and a small golf course) but also the purely entertainment based facilities like a movie theater that showed the latest 3-D films from earth and other worlds. He knew what was available, but now he had eight hours to wait and see what Jacques wanted to show him.

Back at the suite, evidence of Yvonne and Jacques' argument was everywhere. Cupboards left hanging open, throw pillows literally thrown around the room, doors left standing open. In the week Jeff had lived with his cousins, he had witnessed, or heard of, four of these fights. Apparently they came in and blew over quickly, but this kind of tension was not something he was used to dealing with. Every Talent he had known in his life had been relatively open to dealing with any problems that came about. If you had an issue with a Talent, you could just talk it out mind to mind and actually know what the person meant instead of what you thought their words meant. Seeing two Primes choose to fight and argue instead of dealing with their problems in a calm, mature fashion was shocking to Jeff. Shocking or not, he had to live with it, so he did his best to either be absent when they fought, or to stay on the sidelines of their arguments.

With a few casual mental tags Jeff sent the pillows, doors, and cupboards aright, and smiled as a semblance of peace was restored to the suite. He had eight hours to fill and he couldn't spend them by doing anything too fun, else he'd upstage his time with Jacques. It was almost a no brainer that he needed a shower after working a full day, so he quickly stepped into his room to change out of his work clothes and into a towel. He knew his cousins often walked from their rooms to the bathroom naked as the day they were born, but he preferred to wrap a towel around his waist, sarong style, as he went from bedroom to bath.

In the bathroom, he set the temperature of the water at the perfect heat and stepped into that luxurious jet. Soaping up, shampooing, and scrubbing every inch of his lanky frame only took a few moments with the careful application of a little Talent. Rinsing off, he stepped out of the shower, and decided he did need a shave. Turning up the light, he pulled an archaic manual razor from his drawer. The device had four blades lined up on one side and a fifth on a different edge. Sure, he could use an electric razor, or even more easily just use a cream to remove the hair follicles all together, but he liked the act of scraping the stubble from his jaw. Once his face was smooth again, he put a bit of smoothing cream in his hair, brushed his teeth, and wrapped his towel back around his waist to return to his bedroom.

He was halfway there, when Yvonne stepped out of her room. It was plain that she was eying him up, from his well shaped feet to his thick dark hair.

"Yes, I can see why he wants you. I think I'll get you first though." She stepped forward, her posture practically predatory. "You'll enjoy it too, so don't worry. Even if you don't like most women... I find I can make anyone want me."

Stepping back and away, Jeff frowned. "Yvonne, I really don't think that's appropriate."

"Good," the word was rich with a sexy chuckle, "I don't like to be considered 'appropriate' any more than I must."

"Yv, no." Jeff put up both his hands to keep her from touching his bare chest. "I don't want this."

"Your mouth says 'no, no, no' but I'll convince it, with a little help from my lips." She stepped forward, so his hands were touching her chest, her tongue just visible licking those lips.

"I said 'no' Yv." His tone was cold, and there was no hint of any kind of smile. "This won't be happening today, tonight, or ever."

With that, he ported himself carefully into his bedroom. He heard her angry shriek through the door and quietly keyed it to stay locked. "Well, that's one enemy earned."

Dropping his towel, he laid down on his bed to take a short nap while waiting for Jacques' shift to end.

The knocking woke him.

"Hello, Jeff? Are you in there?" It was Jacques. Apparently he slept longer than he'd planned. Well, all and good... he'd be well rested to go out.

"Yes, I'm here... just a moment." Without thinking, he walked to the door and opened it. Jacques' jaw almost dropped off his face, and Jeff remembered he'd lied down to sleep in the nude. Both men blushed as Jeff grabbed his towel from the nearby pile on the floor. "I'm sorry, I forgot. Uh... I take it your shift is over. Ready to go out and show me what's fun to do?"

"Yeah... go out... uh..." Jacques wasn't doing so well at lifting his eyes from Jeff's chest and abs. Sighing, Jeff reached out and titled Jacques' head up to eye level.

"There we go. Do you need a minute to change or anything before we go out?"

"Yes... I'll go put on something fresh... see you in five?" When Jeff nodded, Jacques bolted off towards his own room. With a sigh, Jeff closed his door and tried to calm his blush down. Quickly, he pulled on clean clothing, a dark pair of pants and a matching shirt. Shoes were easy, as he only had the one dark pair with him. His hair was loose, dry, and silky smooth. Running his hand through it caused it to fall perfectly into place. That smoothing cream was a good product. Dressed as he was, he was sure he'd be ready for any activity Jacques was up to tonight.

With one last look at himself in a mirror, he exited his room to wait for Jacques, who joined him a heartbeat later. The shorter man was wearing a very similar outfit, though, his shirt and pants were black, not just dark blue. Jacques was still a little flushed, but he was doing better at not staring now that Jeff was wearing clothing.

"So, what is on tap for tonight Jacques?"

"Well, I was thinking we'd see a film and maybe go for a swim. That sound good?" He asked as anxious as if this were an official first date.

"Yeah, let's do that." Jeff smiled, trying to put the other man at ease. "We can grab something to eat while we wait for the film and then be fine to swim after it's over."

Dinner was a disaster. Jacques was nervous and so went from nattering like a magpie to putting himself down incessantly. At one point, he knocked over both of their drinks. He did his best to clean it up, but sat there dejected when it was finally done. They still had half an hour until they could reasonably go get seats for the film, so talking was their only option, and Jacques couldn't string together more than a few words. Finally, Jeff had had enough.

"What's the problem Jac? A few minutes ago I couldn't get a word in, now I can't get a word out of you."

"I'm such a clutz, and you probably hate me anyway." Jacques turned away, probably to try to hide the tears in his eyes.

"Is this about the drinks? Jacques, they're fine. Why would I hate you for spilling a couple of sodas?"

"Because! No one's ever liked me!" He started to get up and leave, but stopped when Jeff reached out and touched his hand.

"What do you mean?" Their hands touching, Jeff felt the waves of emotions rocking through Jacques, and gently reached out with his mind. _May I?_

Jacques' mind fell open, private walls melting like mist, as he let Jeff inside to see what he meant. His memories of childhood were foremost, showing an older brother. An older, taller, better looking (to Jacques) brother. They weren't that far apart, only a year or so, and all the men Jacques was interested in only pretended to be friends with him to get closer to his brother, Phillip.

"Jacques, Phillip is not here. I'm here with you. Whether or not you and I work out, it won't be because you're not attractive enough, or because I only wanted you until I could get Phillip. If we work out or not is up to the two of us... if we click, if we have that spark." He reinforced his words with calming waves of emotion, softly easing Jacques' pain and embarrassment. "Now, just be yourself, and we'll see if we have that spark. Even if we don't, you and I will be friends. Understand?"

"Ye-yes. Thank you, Jeff."

The movie was enjoyable, a comedy they both laughed at. Jacques was more relaxed, and they were interacting more comfortably now. Leaving the theater, they chatted easily about various people they'd worked with, which minds they had touched, and which species they'd interacted with.

"Are you still interested in that swim, Jeff?" Jacques smiled innocently, then ruined with by wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

Laughing, Jeff nodded, and the two were off towards the gym. The pool, as always, was clothing optional. Some people wore suits for comfort, some for modesty, and for those same reasons, others chose to wear nothing. Jacques and Jeff chose to wear nothing because they simply hadn't brought suits with them. At first, they swam laps, racing each other from end to end, but after Jeff won a race by sticking his foot in Jacques' lane to block him from kicking off, things devolved into plain wrestling in the water. Luckily, few people were bothered by their antics, most just looked on and laughed. After a bit, they toweled off and sat under the false sunlight to help keep a natural skin tone.

"Jeff, you meant it... what you said before, right? That even if we don't have that 'spark' we'll still be friends, right?"

"Yes, I meant it. You're a fun person to hang out with, Jac. Just forget to be so nervous, and you do fine."

"Thanks." He said, and closed his eyes again.

Back at their suite, Jeff hugged Jacques while they stood outside Jacques' bedroom door. "So, do you think we have that spark you're looking for, Jeff?"

"I don't know, Jacques. Let's keep hanging out and we'll see if it shows up." He smiled, and tried hard to soften his words, but Jacques still slumped.

"Aw, poor baby. Shot down on the first date." Acid dripped off the blond woman's words as she stood in her doorway, barely covered by a silk bathrobe.

"Yvonne, go away." Jeff kept his back to her focusing on Jacques. "This isn't 'no,' this is 'not yet.' Understand?"

"Why does he get 'not yet,' Jeff? Why do I get 'no?' Am I not good enough? Or wait... that's it... I'm too good. You don't want competition. Ha! Go ahead then, screw around with the weaker primes that litter the galaxy. Come see me when you're done playing with the weaklings." Her door slammed closed.

"Is it true, Jeff? Did she try for you first?"

"This afternoon, after I got off duty, she tried her move, and it flopped. I don't like women who won't take 'no' for an answer."

"You're not really interested in me because I'm weaker than you, are you? Because I know I am... I looked up your numbers and compared them to mine... you clear more cradles per hour than I do, and you're better able to lift multiple masses at once."

"Good lord! No, don't believe anything Yvonne tells you. I'm interested in you because you're sweet, cute, and fun. That's it. No ulterior motives... no secret desire to avoid competition. Nothing like that." He smiled, and pulled Jacques into a tight hug which ended with a gentle, sweet, first-date kind of kiss. "Sleep well."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Wait... Anne has rules against Slash? :O I checked her page... is it one of those unwritten rules? I don't plan on writing anything too risque. ;) The goal is to have a story about a character... and, if Jeff is lucky, he'll end up happily tied down with one or more people by the end of this tale. If he's unlucky, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there! Glad you still like the story though. :)

Also, Yvonne is Cera's granddaughter for everyone out there wondering.

PS Many thanks to Portalvast Magus for the shout out in her fic! Thanks to everyone who came over to read mine after reading Sackcloth and Ashes too!

Edit? What edit? whistles innocently Thanks PM!

**Chapter 3:**

The weeks passed, and Jeff settled into his new home; he began to form a rhythm that made sure he got home to see his family, but still grew independent. Once every two weeks he would check out a personnel carrier and request the use of the generators to launch himself back to Clarf where he would spend a long weekend resting and seeing his family. While he was on station, however, his days had a much different schedule. He would wake two hours before his shift was scheduled, eat a light meal, and then go to the gym to get in a morning swim. He knew life on Callisto would likely be less active than life on a large planet, so he wanted to do what he could to keep his body in shape. Once his swim was done, he would dry off by basking under the false sunlight. It was perfectly safe now, with the right creams to block the harmful rays. After that, he would get dressed and report to duty in the yard just in time to say 'hello, goodbye!' to Tabitha. After a full day of clearing cradles, he would head back to the suite and do his best to avoid Yvonne. She acted like all was forgotten, but Jeff didn't know how someone could forget a situation that bitter. A few hours later, Jacques would get home and they would have some fun. Jeff was an avid collector of pre-space boardgames and had several reproductions in his collection. It had taken some time, but he eventually got Jacques to play Scrabble with him, and enjoy it too. The spark simply wasn't there, though. So their friendship stayed just that, despite Jacques' obvious desire for more.

About three months into his apprenticeship, during one of his shifts, a message came through for the Rowan. It was marked with Capella as its point of origin and a large urgent stamp. Jeff wasn't on message tubes, so he wasn't aware of it until the Rowan tapped into his mind directly.

_Boy, please come to the Tower immediately. Let Wilson know I've called you, but set aside your current tasks._

_Yes, ma'am._ Jeff replied politely, before trotting off to find his supervisor. "The Prime called, she wants me up in the Tower immediately. All the carriers that are empty have been cleared, but there are still people working the remaining five."

With a small bow, Jeff was off to the Tower, wondering what was important enough to call him away from his team. He reported to the Rowan weekly to talk to her about his experiences in the Tower and to discuss the basic quantum physics behind Talent, but other than that, they rarely saw each other. She invited the cousins over to her dome once a month, or so, for a family dinner, but so far Jeff hadn't been able to attend, because he was home visiting his parents and siblings. As he bounded up the steps, he felt the push and pull of her mind lofting carriers across the galaxy.

"Ma'am, you called?"

"Yes, I'm well aware I called. Take that couch, and merge with me. I find it more difficult to talk to people while working in my advanced years." Her tone was waspish, but her grin said she was handling the effects of aging with grace.

Sitting down in the third couch, the Twic's seat was currently empty as the Rowan had fired her most recent Twic. Apparently no one quite matched up to Jeff's grandfather Afra.

"What are you doing, Boy? Take the Twic's seat. You might as well sit close enough to hear me if I decide to speak out loud."

"Yes, Ma'am." Jeff moved with a sense of awe. Here he was sitting in the same chair his grandfather had worked from in the Rowan's Tower. He felt her mind touch his and he dropped his walls to merge into hers.

_You've got a strong, sure touch, Boy. That's good to know. Make sure the Stationmaster has the next drone chain ready._ He felt her mind lifting a chain and preparing it for its trip to Betelgeuse.

_Stationmaster, the Rowan wants to know if the next chain is ready? The list says it's Procyon bound._

_'Course it's ready, kid. So are the next three chains. Let the Prime know we're three chains ahead of her, like normal._

_Rowan, Stationmaster says it's ready, and so are the next three. They're working to keep ahead of us._

_Heh... said he's three ahead did he?_ Her tone was playful, and her mental touch took on a lively green hue.

The generators rose in pitch and he felt the Rowan drawing on his strength as she lifted two trains at once, her mind working two dozen different minor portations. Jeff heard Stationmaster get off a final warning to the train that wasn't supposed to take off for another ten minutes before it was skipping across the galaxy. Moments later, the Rowan had the next two trains performing a similar jig.

_I like to keep the teams on their toes._ She said on a tight band to Jeff. _Now, I asked you up here because I just received a message from your Uncle Thian. You know he's the Prime at Capella these days... that boy always had a bit of his Father's Methody ways. Well, he's looking for a quick relief assistant in his Tower. He wants a Prime Twic for the next month to replace his daughter while she's out on her honeymoon. Of course, he thought of his own nieces and nephews first, and you're the oldest of the lot. He asked your mother first, not realizing that you'd been placed in my Tower. Fool boy doesn't keep up with the family gossip._

_So you're reassigning me to Capella?_

_For one month. No longer. I like how you work in my yard, and now that I've got a feel for your mind, I think I'd like merging with you more regularly. Thian will have to find a way to get people to apply directly to him like they do me._

Jeff started to get up to leave, but the Rowan arched her dark eyebrow, and he settled back into the Twic's couch. Messages were scrolling across the screen, angry notes from Stationmaster, lists of new cargo drones to match up into trains, and the manifesto for a passenger liner that was heading out to view the rubble from the Hiver Invasion at Deneb, then travel on to current and former Hiver worlds. Tourists. While he was reading the various messages, he felt the Rowan tapping his strength and the Generators at a breakneck pace. She had this gleeful look on her face, almost like a child playing a prank, and Jeff could feel Stationmaster's irritation growing.

Finally, Jeff touched his mind again. _Stationmaster, would you mind if I joined a few trains to help us get ahead of the Rowan again?_

_Go for it, boy. Maybe with your help we'll get things to calm down._

With that approval, Jeff began lifting full drones and carriers and linking them, preparing the chains for the Rowan. He felt the Stationmaster and other lesser Talents assisting his efforts. The Rowan gave him an odd half smile, and she began working even faster. Jeff's mind was now being pulled in a dozen different directions as he lifted carriers when the Rowan wasn't using his heft. Their merged minds made contact with other Primes and Tower staffs, most just received their packages, some let their amusement show as they did so, but none commented on how fast the Rowan was making her shifts. She was well known for playing tricks on her staff like this.

For the rest of the shift, the Rowan never dropped her pace, and she never broke a sweat. When Callisto sank behind Jupiter's bulk, and their shipping day ended, she arched her back like a cat stretching in the sun.

"Good job, Boy. You kept up and even made that run quite smoothly. I'm not sure if we should congratulate Kincaid for his genes or his teaching. Then again, your grandfather sat in that couch and did the job just as well as you just did. You'll do well on Capella, provided you don't clash with Thian." With a wave, she dismissed him. Jeff got to his feet, his body stiff and sore, knuckling his back.

"Ma'am, when will I report to Capella?"

"Oh, when we clear Jupiter. You've got eight hours."

"Thank you, Ma'am."

Walking out of the Tower, he saw the yard emptying, but there was Jacques waiting for him.

"Jacques, I need to go take a long bath and do my best to get some rest. I'm off to Capella for a month." Jeff tried to muster up a smile, but it felt fake even to him. It was exhausting to keep up with the Rowan when she was feeling tricky.

"Oh, well, then let's just walk back to the suite."

Back at their suite, Yvonne sat in a plush chair watching one of the entertainment vids, and smiled as the two men entered.

"Jeff, you go pack, and I'll cook up something for dinner. Yvonne, are you interested in pasta tonight?" The blond perked up, ignoring the vid.

"Packing? Jeff's going somewhere?"

"Yes, he's being loaned to Capella... do you want pasta? Jeff, go pack!"

Jeff left the main area to go into his room and pack a carrisak. He put in a several changes of clothing, both formal and casual. As the Rowan had pointed out, Thian frequently was a stickler for rules and regs. All the while he was packing though, he could hear Yvonne pumping Jacques for information about Jeff's being loaned out. It was lucky that he'd told Jacques all the details, so he could give her answers as needed.

Zipping the pack closed, Jeff returned to the living room to find his cousins working together quite well. Yvonne was tearing apart a head of lettuce and tossing the leaves in a bowl with a spicy smelling dressing and a few other vegetables while Jacques was using a stick blender to puree a red sauce. Despite how often the two fought, they worked together like parts of a whole in the kitchen.

"Hey Jacques, do I have time for that long soak in the tub, or should that wait until after dinner?"

"Jeff, do you see how close we are to done? Of course the bath should wait!" Yvonne's snappy reply was carried by a wave of humor bathing Jeff's empathic sense.

Tabitha was sleeping over at her cook's quarters, so they didn't feel bad about sitting down all together without her. The meal was lively with bright gems of conversation, the food was delicious and matched with a strong white wine that made them all feel warm and comfortable. After an hour of chit chatting and gossiping about what Jeff could expect at Capella, he finally begged off to go take that bath to let the hot water ease his cramped muscles.

His tall body and long bones barely fit in the tub, but they did, and the hot water slowly relaxed away the tension from the Rowan's prank. The heat and the wine he'd had with dinner put him in a soft, muzzy state, so he looped his arms into the brackets on the side of the tub and let his mind drop off into sleep.

Hours passed and he woke up chilled and covered in goose-flesh. The digital clock on the wall told him he'd slept more than an hour in the tub, and he blushed, hoping no one had needed to use the bathroom while he'd been dozing. Stepping out, he let the water drain. Bathwater was routinely recycled, so this would go to be purified and then be someone else's shower or bath. Once the water was used beyond filtering it was used to water the oxygen plants.

He went through the motions of his toiletries, then stumbled back to his bedroom and collapsed into bed, his last thought was to set an alarm with the artificial intelligence.

A light beeping woke him, the alarm doing its best to annoy his subconscious enough to bring him out of his rather restful dream. Looking at the digital, he realized that he had twenty minutes until the start of the day, and the Rowan had said she'd port him out at the start of the day. He quickly threw on clothing, rinsed his mouth with mouthwash, and then bolted out the door, carrisak in hand. He was running down the hall, mentally counting down the minutes until he would be late.

_Jeff, do you have a moment?_

_Not at the moment, Mother. I'm rushing to meet my carrier. Do you have anything to say to Uncle Thian?_

_Oh, so grandmother agreed to lend you out?_ She sounded vaguely worried.

_Yes Mother, she agreed. I played Twic for her yesterday, and apparently passed whatever test it was._

_That was you augmenting her?_

_Yes... couldn't you tell?_

_I knew it was someone new... the merge was much better than that dork she had working as Twic._ There was a definite hint of pride in her voice now.

_I've got to go, mother. I'm in the hangar. I'll contact you after I've reached Capella._

_Goodbye love._

Jeff entered the hangar, smiling widely. He was shipping out as Talent. Working as Twic would be a definite bump in his pay for the month, even though working in the yard wasn't bad pay. There was a carrier waiting for him in a cradle, and the large digital on the wall was counting down the seconds until they would clear Jupiter and be 'open' for business. With a wave for the Stationmaster and one for his supervisor, he ducked into the carrier.

_I'm seated and ready for transport, Prime._

_Boy, you've got the reach and the strength to lift yourself. Use Generator 5._

_Yes, Ma'am._

His grin grew another inch, and then he tapped lightly on the generator, his mental touch waiting until it hit its perfect peak.

_Good shift, m'boy. Welcome to this green rock._ His uncle Thian's voice was very much like his mother's, just more masculine. _I hate to make you work right away, but your cousin left a week ago and I just realized I'm never letting her leave again. Please get up here and help me make some sense of this._

_I'll be there right away, Thian._

While Capella was no where near as hot as Clarf, it was much warmer than the climate controlled Callisto. Stepping out of his carrier, Jeff made a direct path for the Tower, loving the heat of a warm star on his back. Inside the Tower, he nodded politely to the Tower Staff and went directly to the Prime's station. Inside, Thian pointed to a couch, its screen practically buzzing with messages.

_There you go, m'boy. Let's work._

Merging his mind into Thian's was much like any other high powered merge he'd been in before, and so it was easy to work around the portations. Especially because Thian felt no need to play tricks on his staff, like other Primes they were both related to. Within a few hours, they had reduced the chaos to a manageable level and the two Primes had relaxed into a comfortable working rhythm. At the end of the day, Jeff's aunt, Allison Anne met them at the steps of the Tower. After giving Jeff an auntly hug, she snuggled under Thian's arm. As they walked towards the family home, she peppered Jeff with question after question about his time at Callisto, his family on Clarf, and his opinions about the comparison in the three Towers he'd now worked in. Laughing, Jeff did his best to answer her questions, and was saved from more, when they opened the family home door and were tackled by a pair of twin terrors. Rhys and Ryan, ten years old and the most active, and physically tactile, Talents Jeff had ever met.

Almost before the door was closed the boys were dragging Jeff up the stairs to their bedroom to see the fort they'd constructed using telekinesis and a little old fashioned know how. Thian and Allison Anne let it happen to give them time to have a private moment. Of course, merely seeing the fort wasn't enough. Jeff was required to assist in constructing another wing, and then conscripted into becoming the besieging enemy forces. In the course of the long and bloody siege, he rigged several telekinetic catapults, even a battering ram, and gave it a very good effort at breaking down the mentally reinforced cushion walls. Eventually, however, as all sieges must, it ended with one final push. The invading forces burst over the fortress walls, and tickled all they found... or so was their plan. When they burst over the walls, they found no defenders. Suddenly, the twins leaped from behind fallen cushions tackling their older cousin, the tickler becoming the tickle-victim.

While trying to defend himself, Jeff lifted the two boys into the air by their heels, eliciting gales of giggles. A quiet bit of telekinesis continued the tickling, filling the room with yet more laughter.

"Ahem. Jeff, Mom and Dad say it's time for dinner." The voice belonged to Rhys and Ryan's older sister, Meghan. She was 15, the third child, and just in that phase where she was noticing boys that weren't her brothers.

"We'll be right down." Jeff smiled at her, watching her blush. Wrapping the boys up in mental energy, he lifted them in front of him, walking down the stairs, the boys still giggling like mad. In the dining room, Jeff flipped the boys and sat them in their seats at the table. He smiled at his aunt and uncle, apologizing for the blatant use of Talent in the home. Allison Anne smiled too, liking that her boys were getting the energy out, but Thian's smile said he'd tolerate it this time, but he expected better from his nephew. The dinner itself went quite well.

After the meal, Allison Anne showed Jeff up to his bedroom, down the hall from the boys' so they hopefully wouldn't bother him too frequently.

"Good night, Jeff. Sleep well." As she left, she began broadcasting empathic waves of contentment and ease. A high empathy rating would definitely help soothe a house at night. Undressing for bed, he sat down on the edge and reached out with his mind. Iota Aurigae was relatively close to Capella, so the stretch wasn't that far, compared to the reach from Earth.

_Mother, Father... Are you available? _

_Yes, always, _the chorused.

_Good. I'm settling into Capella... and it's interesting. Definitely a different Tower than home or Callisto. I really enjoyed sitting in the second chair, though. It was oddly fun working with the Prime that closely._

_That's the way it's supposed to be. Who did you like merging with better, the Rowan or Thian?_

_Definitely the Rowan. When I linked my mind with hers, I felt bigger, stronger, better... with uncle Thian, I just felt like I was adding my strength to his. We worked well together, but there was no amplification. If that's the right word._

_Laria, didn't your father always say that's what it was like when he worked with the Rowan?_

_Yes, love, he did. He also said that's the way it should be. A Prime's support should merge with her to become something more than the sum of their ratings._

_Now, son, I might be a few star systems away, but even here I can feel how tired you are. Go to sleep, and we'll talk the next time you have time._

_OK, father. Good night._

They parted with that almost-hug of Talented minds leaving each other, and Jeff slowly let his body and mind fall into the void of slumber.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and the edits. ;) So, here goes another chapter. :D

Chapter 4:

Jeff and Thian's merged minds caught the passenger liner with ease, settling it into a cradle, without any discernible bumps or jolts. After three weeks working together, their minds and Talents joined smoothly and well. The liner was one of the rare ships that carried immigrants to Capella. Mainly men and women who had grown tired of living a life without a defined moral code, these immigrants had all been screened and approved to relocate to Capella by Capellan officials on their worlds of origin. The idea of leaving home just for a lack of a stringent moral code was completely alien to Jeff, so while he and Thian kept up with the delivery schedule, another part of his mind watched the immigrants disembarking.

Capella was not a closed system. It did take in new immigrants and visitors, and it did allow citizens to relocate as they pleased, but the locals were extremely protective of their beliefs, almost to the point of being xenophobic towards off worlders. These immigrants had all applied to join that society, and were all approved for it too. They were an interesting bunch. Some were from old Terra, not quite religious revivalists, but close; others were from the other original nine stars of the League. Every society had its socially conservative members, and every society had people who were even more conservative. In the League, however, many planets were able to send their most conservative members to Capella, where their mindset was close to the norm, and they would be accepted. Thian felt his mind catching, pulling, and pushing drones and carriers as Thian tapped his strength, but he really didn't need to focus to lend strength to a link. He did, however, need to focus to handle that blinking emergency light on his console.

Breaking off his mini-voyeurism session, he made his physical eyes focus on the message, reading it multiple times to make sure that he had it correct.

_Uncle,_ he spoke into Thian's mind, _after this port, please take a break to read this message._

_Is it that serious? _Before Jeff could reply, Thian read the answer from Jeff's public mind. _OK, I'll finish up this last port... here you go, Rojer. Don't go bouncing this load, delicate crystal in it._

_As if I would. Tell Gravy that Asia says 'hello,' would you? Also, I've been instructed to request that we have a get together with the old team... some kind of picnic on a centrally located planet._

_Will do, Roj._ Breaking off the contact with his brother, Thian turned to Jeff. _What is it, Boy?_

The Rowan's casual nick name had stuck, and now half the Primes in the League had forgotten his real name was Jeff.

_A message came in from a hospital on Tlvr, Gwyneth and her husband were caught in a cave in. They were exploring an old Hiver settlement, and some fool landed a heavy ore drone above the chamber they were in._

Thian's shock and anguish seared Jeff's mind, but were quickly controlled. _You said a hospital, right? They're still alive?_

_Yes. Tlvr's got a team of T-2s, and they said there's an open cradle if you and Aunt Allison would like to go and be there when Gwyn and Patrick go into surgery._

_You'll handle the Tower while we're gone? And your cousins? Should I call in reinforcements?_

_No, Thian. I think I can handle it, and if I run into trouble, I can always call grandma Damia over at Iota Aurigae, or my parents on Clarf. I'll be fine. Go take care of Gwyn._

_You're a good boy, Jeff._

Before they could discuss it further, Allison Anne arrived, panic in her eyes. "What is wrong? What's happening? Thian... your emotions."

"We're off to Tlvr, love. Gwyn and Patrick are hurt. Jeff will man my Tower, and he should do well. He'll port us anything we need, now let's just get to Tlvr." With a few more words, the two were tucked securely into a carrier, and Thian whisked them off world and onto the dini world of Tlvr.

Jeff was now alone in his own Tower, well, not his own Tower, but he was the highest ranked and rated Talent on world at the moment. Carefully, he moved over to the Prime's couch, and began reading the reports, in the few minutes between the last shipment and sending Thian and Allison Anne on their way a short backlog had built up. Other Towers were getting impatient to have their deliveries received and his own people were waiting to send things spinning off into the galaxy. Drawing lightly on the Generator, he reached out into Space and began meeting the powerful merged minds of other Towers. Some he knew by touch, sight, feel, having actually met them... his mother, the Rowan, Jeff Raven, his uncles and aunts, but others were minds he had only met by mental touch: Jeran and Cera, and their numerous children, along with Flavia and the other Primes that were in no way related to the Gwyn-Raven dynasty. When it was appropriate, he told the Prime mind he touched why Thian wasn't here receiving, with others he merely said that Thian was otherwise occupied and letting him gain some on the job experience as Prime.

Of course, his mother, her siblings, and their parents were the most concerned, all demanding he retell the details repeatedly to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything important. The Rowan even considered porting herself to Tlvr to make sure that the healers there knew metamorphic techniques. Eventually, the various relatives all decided to wait to hear from Thian before deciding if the Cavalry truly needed to rush in and save the day. That didn't stop them from all advising, warning, and congratulating, depending on the relative, him on serving as Prime while Thian was out.

By the end of the day, his mind was more worn out from the telepathy than from sending and receiving carriers or drones. When he arrived back at his Aunt and Uncle's home, his cousins were all there, waiting for news. Sean was now the oldest of the lot, while Gwyneth was off world and out of the house, at 17, Meghan was 15, and the twins were 10. With all of them sitting there, looking grave, Jeff did his best to explain what happened. The children were all fairly pragmatic, and took it as it was.

"So Gwyn and Patrick should be alright, yes?" Sean looked Jeff in the eyes, his voice oddly level.

"They'll be coming home then, sooner than they'd planned, right?" The lone womanly voice, Meghan was struggling to hold back tears so as not to disgust or worry her brothers.

"Yes, they should be fine. The dinis treating them are experts on human medical technology and needs, and there are human doctors on the planet just in case of things like this. We're not sure when they'll be coming home, though. The doctors might decide it is best to let them recuperate on Tlvr, rather than porting them home." With a bolt of inspiration, he mimicked the wave of empathy Allison Anne had sent out at bedtime every night, but instead of contentment and sleepiness, he sent out peace and calm. His cousins responded to it, taking comfort in the familiar sensation.

"OK, kids, I'm too bushed to cook tonight, and I think we all need a treat to help keep up our mood, so let's go out tonight for dinner." His suggestion met mixed support, but no opposition, so after a few moments of debating where to go, they headed out, walking down the side of the main thoroughfare towards the center of the city. The kids were aware of the threat indent gangs posed, so they kept close, eyes always open and minds alert. No gang would be able to cause harm to this group of young people, unless they were caught completely unawares. While Jeff was the only one working for FT&T, Sean and Meghan both tested as Primes. The twins had an odd resonance to their Talent, and were difficult to classify, but neither were lightweights. They made it to the restaurant without any problems, which was the best they could hope for.

In the restaurant, things were off to a rocky start from the get go.

"Sir, may I ask why you are here with a large group of minor children?" Pompous, fruity notes filled the Host's voice.

"My aunt and uncle are off world for the moment, and they asked me to care for their children. I am providing their sustenance by bringing them here tonight." Jeff's voice was a careful mockery of the older man's. The children were shocked, but doing their best to hide it.

"Sir, you might not be aware, not being a native of Capella, yourself, that children must be escorted by their parents when out after 4pm."

"As the parents of these children are off world and I was instructed to act in their stead, surely that requirement is met?"

"I am sorry, sir, but it is not." The host's smile was insufferable.

"Perhaps I should make something clear, this restaurant ships in ripe fruit and fresh seafood from ten different worlds every week, sometimes daily. Do you really want to refuse to serve the acting Prime and the children of the regular Prime of your world?" Perhaps the threat wasn't the most subtle, but Jeff did not like dealing with officious fools. The host's eyes practically bulged, and Jeff heard the children gasp behind him.

"Sir, we will not be seating you or these children. Please vacate the premises." With that, the host turned on his heel, huffing, and walked away.

Shocked, Jeff turned back to the kids. "I didn't expect that."

"Jeff! You've just been about as rude as one can possibly be on Capella, and you've affronted the Method in more ways than I can count!" Meghan seemed torn between laughing and being worried for their safety. Ryan and Rhys wore poorly concealed smiles, and Sean seemed to be thinking awfully hard about the scene they'd just been part of.

"Well, damn." More gasps from his wards. "I'm sorry, cursing is probably taboo too, right?"

Nods and wide eyes from all four.

"Well, fine then. We'll go by the grocery store and purchase some items and I'll just have to cook anyway."

In the end, they walked out of the grocery store with two kinds of pasta (one macaroni and cheese, the other "adult" enough for Meghan), a salad, and the fixings for some hearty sandwiches for Jeff and Sean. The kids helped with cooking, and did their best to fill Jeff in on what he'd done completely wrong that night.

"You really shouldn't have spoken to that woman at the grocery. She had a ring on, but had no children with her, so she was married but not with her husband. It was horribly rude to compliment her."

"Oh, and asking the cashier to change how things were bagged wasn't polite either."

"And don't forget how he smiled at that woman! I could feel her blushing yards away!"

"Of course, it was bad manners to try to hold a conversation with all of us on the public sidewalks... you really should only talk to one person while walking, or more but in a discreet manner."

"And using Talent to open the door was a horrid breech of the Method."

"Wait, wait, wait! It sounds like everything I did tonight broke some part of the Method!"

"Well, it did, silly." Meghan was ever helpful.

"Faugh!" He groaned, loudly, and began dishing up the meals. They kept up the conversation over dinner, but eventually, Jeff just let it wash over him, mostly ignoring their teasing. Finally, it was time for bed, so he sent the youngest to brush their teeth, and let the older two do their own thing. Which, they promptly told him, was not Methody. He should have sent them all to bed.

The next day, he realized how glad he was that most of the main Tower staff were off worlders, and that the few who weren't knew how to handle people who did not follow the Method. Feeling well rested, he began his day sending ships, carriers and drones spinning out into the wider universe. It wasn't until the lunch break, that he was interrupted by one of the Tower Talents, Luce.

"Prime? We've got a problem. Freighter Captain says that his ship was 'unduly stressed' during transfer, that that stress warped several key beams within his ship, and that he feels FT&T owes him recompense. He wants to speak to the Prime." Her voice was calm and steady, she was apparently used to dealing with irate captains.

"I'll be there in a moment, Luce. Have him cool his heels in the conference room. Make sure there's nothing to snack on or drink in there, though."

Luce left with a smile, obviously catching his meaning behind leaving the captain without food or beverage at lunch time. Uncomfortable men were easier to handle than those who had their stomachs full and wits about them. For that very reason, Jeff made sure to drink an electrolyte rich fruit juice and eat a small sandwich. Judging the wait to have been long enough, he entered the conference room.

"I'll be damned if I have to wait on any damned pacifists to get damages done to my ship paid for by the bum what caused them! What's the damn idea behind making me wait here for so damned long." Apparently 'damn' was one of the captain's favorite swear words.

"Captain, I'd like to have one of my engineers inspect these beams. Yours would be the first ship I've ever seen that was 'warped' during transfer, and I've worked in three very busy Towers. You will of course be willing to allow an FT&T certified engineer to inspect your ship, correct?"

"Well, I, I don't think that's necessary. My engineer tells me that it was undue stress during transfer, so I believe him. I want the FT&T to pay to have my beams replaced."

"I'm sorry sir, but we can't go replacing every beam someone claims we damaged without verifying that we did in fact cause the damage in question. I'll call my engineer now and we can go inspect these beams." Jeff smiled a thin, chilly smile, and reached out with his mind. _Dockson, care to join me for a field trip? Meet me in the yard. I'll be the one with the greasy space captain._

"There we go, let's head out to your ship." With all false courtesy, he opened the door for the now fretting captain. They were down in the yard in moments, and Jeff pulled the Captain's ship's name from his public mind. "Well, there she is... the C. Love. Well, are these damaged beams on the outside of the ship or internal?"

Just then, Dockson, the T-7 Engineer arrived. Normally, Dockson was a generator technician, but he'd studied other kinds of engineering just to keep on the ball. He nodded to Jeff, and looked interestedly at the Captain, who was beginning to sweat. They were shown inside, and taken on the 'grand tour' of the rather decrepit old ship. She might have had glory days, but you'd never be able to tell by this rusting hunk.

"So, where exactly are these 'stressed beams' that you claim we caused?" Dockson had read the situation from Jeff's public mind and was just as irritated by the failing extortion attempt.

"Right this way... uh... this beam! Anyone can clearly see it's stressed beyond its original design specifications, and clearly needs to be replaced!"

Looking to Jeff for approval, Dockson leaned in and touched the beam with his finger tips, sending tiny reverberations through the beam, feeling it telekinetically.

"No, that beam is straight and sure... for now. It won't survive a self-powered lift off, but that's just due to age. If I had to guess, I'd say this particular beam is more than a century old. I can see why you'd want it replaced."

"That's not it at all! The damned beam is warped! Warped I tell you! Look at this one!" The next had rust stains and was weak, but not yet damaged. The third was bent, slightly, but only by a heavy blow from a large metal hammer, found in the next room. Beam after beam was found to be structurally sound, if old and in need of replacement.

"Well, captain. We have a choice. I can report this to FT&T, and they'll take your company to court for false claims, delay of traffic, delay of the duties of a Prime and his Tower, and a few other charges, or we can both just walk away from this and forget it ever happened. One way you'll lose your job and everything you own, the other you walk away with your pride stung. Pick now."

Glaring, the captain finally replied. "The C. Love requests permission to be launched this afternoon for Earth, leaving three days early."

"Request granted captain. You have three hours until launch."

Back in the Tower, Jeff smiled and sipped at another glass of juice. The afternoon load was fairly light, and the activities were mundane enough that he only had half his mind involved in the launching and receiving of interstellar traffic. After his last port of the day, he opened his eyes and turned towards the door, only to see a tall, thin frame he'd recognize anywhere.

"Dad?" Laughing, he practically flew across the space between them.

"Your mother sent me over more than an hour ago, she was sure you'd hear the laughter in her voice and guess what was up. I won that bet though. Don't let your mind wander too far, son." Kincaid was grinning, his chin nuzzling against Jeff's head. "It's good to see you again, m'boy. Your mother was worried you'd get used to being a Tower Prime and never want to come home again."

"Naw, never that, Dad. I'll always come home eventually." Grinning like fools, the father and son left the Tower, and walked back to Thian's home.

Of course, Kincaid's nephews and niece were thrilled to see him, and he was treated to a similar battle of the fortress as his son had waged on his first day in the home. Dinner was a lasagna thrown together before Jeff had gone to the Tower, and it was roundly praised.

"One day, you'll make someone a very nice husband, son." Kincaid grinned, noticing Meghan's blush. Her initial shyness around Jeff had blossomed into a full blown crush.

After sending the kids (all of them) to bed, Jeff sat down in the living room with his father and a bottle of wine.

"So, how is mother? And my sibs? Anything exciting happening back home?"

"Your mother is fine, still as quietly dramatic as ever before. I love her, but even she realizes that her desire to hang on to her children is irrational. Your sister decided that she wanted to get out and see the Universe too, so she signed up for a science based mission to one of the active Hiver Worlds. She'll be traveling with them both as a trained chemist and as reserve Talent, in case their FT&T Talents need back up. The various women in the Gwyn-Raven-Lyon clan were all quite affronted that she hadn't signed on as official FT&T, though your namesake took it in stride. Apparently, he doesn't want to pay anymore Prime Salaries than he has to. The boys, of course, are thrilled that your mother let her leave, taking it as a sign that she's mellowing out, so when it's their turn, they'll be able to leave without as much fuss."

They both laughed, and Jeff began telling stories about his experiences as Prime, as a yard worker, and all he'd been up to in the past few months. At appropriate points, Kincaid would laugh, grin, or make a comment, sharing about similar experiences he'd had working Clarf, and before as a Navy Talent. Late in the wee hours, they went to bed, but not before Jeff firmly told his father that he would not be working in the Tower, that this was to be a short vacation for the T-2. Laughing at being ordered around by his son, Kincaid gave in graciously.

The next day, Jeff was at the Tower, and Kincaid had no idea what to do with himself. The children were at school, his son was working, and he had a planet he'd never been to before to roam. Walking into town, he went into the shops, looking for a gift for Laria. Something that was uniquely Capellan. Holding up locally made cloth samples, comparing them in the light, looking at intricate necklaces, earrings, and bobbles, he was quickly engrossed. Even still, he felt the negative emotions filling the shop like an unpleasant haze. Turning around, he saw the shop keeper glaring. His public mind loudly full of thoughts about off worlders and their dirty habits and filthy ways, clearly identifying Kincaid's shopping with a stereotypical homosexual. Ignoring the cashier's thoughts and glare, Kincaid selected a beautiful wrap and a necklace to match. At the counter, he smiled at the man.

"I'd like to purchase these for my wife." He practically oozed soothing empathy, but the man's walls were thick and tight.

"That's a good purchase sir." Polite words hid nasty, hate filled thoughts. "Would you like these bagged?"

"No thank you, my credit is run through FT&T, under the name Kincaid Dano."

The man began looking him up in the credit system. People who traveled world to world often had their credits held by an interstellar corporation so that they would be able to use their money on any planet. The FT&T was the most reliable of those corporations, and gave FT&T Talents a very favorable interest rate to keep their paychecks in the FT&T coffers. When the man got to Kincaid's record and saw that he lived on Clarf, the ugly haze that filled the room got nine shades darker.

"Very good, sir. Here you go." His words were cheerful and sunny, but his eyes glared daggers at Kincaid. All the while, his public mind roiled about filthy lying homosexual weasel lovers who pretended to be rightly married to women.

Outside, Kincaid decided to return to the Tower Complex, where at least he would be sure to not run into any raging bigots like the shop clerk. Walking on the street's sidewalk, he didn't notice the men following him at first. They all wore the bright red indenture bands on their wrists that marked them as people who had sold their body's service for a predetermined time to be brought to this planet. These men were obviously day laborers. Some were shop clerks, others were janitors, but they were all obviously following Kincaid now. Stepping up his pace, he kept moving towards the Tower, but eventually he realized a confrontation was unavoidable. Turning down a small alley, backing up against a wall, he faced a small crowd of men. Maybe thirty of them.

"Weasel lover!"

"Filthy pervert!"

"Insulted the Method!"

"Gentlemen, I do not want to harm any of you. Please, leave me alone." He put his hands up in front of his body, his purchase floating off to the side.

"Get off our world, pervert!" A rock flew with those words, but bounced away to the right, pushed by Kincaid's telekinesis. More rocks followed, and all were knocked away. Larger items began flying. Books, cans of food, small pieces of wood or metal. They were all neatly knocked aside into a pile.

Deciding that enough was enough, Kincaid knocked the whole crowd to the ground with a short blast of mental energy, and then held them there, flat on the ground, while he walked by them... floating four feet off the ground. At the mouth of the Alley, he turned back to them, and released his hold on them.

"Think what your Method would say about forming a mob to attack a stranger." Then he walked away.

At the Tower, he did his best to pretend it hadn't happened. Xenophobia was part and parcel with his life. He lived on the capital planet of another species. Of course he had to deal with the occasional human who couldn't handle the dinis or their culture. He thought he'd left homophobia behind though. There were always the occasional jerk who couldn't understand that a man could prefer sleeping with other men and still be a man, but it had been many years since he'd had to deal with a group of homophobes. Not since he left Altair, and the first time he met Vagrian Beliakin. Sitting in the cafeteria, he chatted with Tower personnel, waiting until his son ended the day's duty. He was definitely proud of Jeff, and glad that his son was growing up in a galaxy that had less hate in it than it did when Kincaid had been a young man.


End file.
